At long last, Playground Games have finally revealed the full extent of what they’ve been working on – a reboot of Lionhead’s western Action RPG classic, Fable. Following the Xbox Developer_Direct, and a number of interviews, we know a lot more about the game, the development team’s lofty ambitions and just when we can expect to get our hands on it. So here’s everything we know about Fable.
What Exactly is Fable?
Fable is an action RPG originally developed by Lionhead, a legendary British studio led by Peter Molyneux. There were three mainline Fable games, with the franchise beginning with ‘Fable’ on the original Xbox back in 2004, Fable II in 2008 and finally Fable III in 2010. There were some spin-offs, and an ill-fated attempt at a 4 v 1 Multiplayer game called Fable Legends, that culminated in Lionheads closure back in 2016 alongside the game being cancelled.
But really, Fable is an RPG set in a world of Fairy-tales. Think less dark fantasy, more whimsy and fun, with a wonderful sense of dry British humour. It’s set in the land of Albion, itself a general reference to a medieval Britain of sorts and players take on the role of a Hero, wielding magic and weapons, taking on quests and interacting with the world. Choice, player freedom and morality play huge roles in the series.
Just like previous games in the series, players will start off as a child, and during a moment of grave danger, we’ll discover we’re the first hero in Albion in a generation. And off we go on a grand adventure!
Is Fable Open World?
For fans of the series that remember the many, many loading screens from the original games, good news! Playground Games have taken their skills from open-world racing series Forza Horizon and brought their skills to Fable. Albion is now a seamless open-world action RPG, full of mysteries, creatures and locations from some of the previous games in the franchise.
Rolling green fields, magical forests, bustling villages and sleepy hamlets are all yours to explore, either on foot or on horseback. The massive city of Bowerstone returns, with landmarks like Fairfax Castle, the Heroes guild and more returning – and looking better than ever before.
In the north of Albion, expect to explore mountain ranges, coastlines, marshlands and the far bleaker city of Bloodstone, which is the home of two rival gangs that are vying for power. There’s also a sinister cult at work here, called the ‘Cult of Shadows’…
Gameplay in Fable
Heroes in Albion are different, and far stronger than the regular townsfolk that populate the land. Importantly, they can harness magic, and cast a variety of spells. In previous games, this has been referred to as ‘will’, and increasing your ‘will’ unlocks more powerful magical abilities.
Other attributes that have been mentioned by Playground Games that appear to be returning are strength and skill, which is nice to hear. Players will be able to seamlessly blend melee and ranged weapons alongside their magical abilities to fight with some serious style.
There appear to be swords, large hammers, dual blades, area of effect magical attacks and more to play around with. Melee combat is focused on a mix of light and heavy attacks, with cool finishing moves to boot.
Plenty of classic enemies seem set to return, from Hobbes, Balverines, Hollowfolk and Trolls. There’s even a new enemy, called a ‘cockatrice’, which appears to be a large, fire-breathing chicken.
A Reactive World
One of the most unique things about Fable as an Action-RPG franchise was how much there was to do beyond the traditional ‘golden path’ of playing through the main story. Pleasingly, it seems a lot of these mechanics are set to return.
Players in Fable are able to go out get a job to earn money, completing tasks via different mini-games. In turn, they can invest that money to buy property. Indeed, Playground Games have said that every building in Albion is able to be entered, and many of them are purchasable, allowing you to become a massive property tycoon. You can evict people, up their rent, and more. Hell, you can even buy businesses and get people to work for you.
According to Playground Games, the world of Albion is populated by a thousand ‘hand-crafted’ NPCs, each of them unique, with their own daily routine. You can romance any of them, or all of them, if you want to dedicate the time to do so. Indeed, you can get married, have kids, get divorced. It’s all up to you.
Choices, Choices
Playground Games suggest there’ll be plenty of choices to make in Fable when it arrives later this year. Big choices, little choices, moral choices. One example given focused around a villager named Dave (played by comedian Richard Ayoade) who has accidentally turned himself into a giant. You’ll be forced to deal with the problem, and one outcome is his death.
The downside there of course is that his body will become part of the game world, affecting house prices nearby. (We wonder if he’ll start to rot as time goes on?) It’ll also upset the population, and of course, poor Dave’s sister.
Indeed, through these choices, you will earn a reputation. While the morality system is back, it’s different to the previous games. Good and Evil is no longer a black and white thing, and instead the game is more ‘shades of grey’. Each NPC will react to you in different ways, depending on their own beliefs, and the reputation you’ve earned.
Can I Customize My Character in Fable?
Fans will be pleased to know that while the morality appearance system is no longer in this new vision for Fable, we’re not stuck with just two player characters to inhabit. Indeed, Playground Games have promised you’ll be able to pick from a range of different faces, and customise your hair, tattoos and scars.
There was some concern that players would be forced into one character, so it’s great to see there’s some variety to play around with!
Will the Dog from Fable II Return?
In an interview with IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey, Ralph Fulton at Playground Games was pretty direct. The dog will not be returning, and many of the developers at Playground aren’t happy about it either. Per Ralph, “There are some folks on the team that were relishing me getting this question because I cut it a while back. You know what? For development reasons, right? I don’t need to go into any more detail than that, except to say there are a substantial number of people on the team who have yet to forgive me for that decision.“
What Platforms is Fable Releasing On?
Folks looking forward to returning to Albion will be pleased to know the game is set to release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam and PlayStation 5 this Autumn. There’s no firm date set just yet, but we expect we’ll get one later this year, perhaps during the Xbox Summer Showcase during Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest in June.
Alright, that’s everything we know about Fable! Are you excited? Let us know in the XboxEra Forums or make some noise in the lively XboxEra Community Discord Server. If you’re looking to be a bigger part of an amazing community, then either choice is a good one!
